The invention relates to a vehicle roof with a roof opening, closable by a tiltable and removable cover, said cover being swivelable in the vicinity of its forward edge about an axis running at right angles to the lengthwise axis of the vehicle, the rear edge of said cover being tiltable by a tilting mechanism, said mechanism being disposed on the vehicle roof and connected to the cover by at least one locking element releasable by finger pressure.
A vehicle roof of this kind is known for example from previously published German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,645,288, which does not anticipate this invention. In this known vehicle roof, means are provided to allow the locking means to be released from outside with the cover tilted, so that unauthorized persons can remove the cover and enter the vehicle if the cover is left tilted when the vehicle is parked. Moreover, inadvertent release of the locking elements while driving can allow the cover to fly off. Hence, this roof is unsatisfactory as far as the degree of safety required is concerned.
The present invention is intended to provide a vehicle roof of the type described hereinabove such that its cover cannot be removed by unauthorized persons, i.e., when the doors and windows are closed and locked, nor can it fly away while driving through inadvertent release of the locking elements.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by virtue of the fact that the locking elements are so disposed and designed that they are releasable only from inside even when the cover is tilted, and by the fact that a hook is provided, releasable from outside only when the cover is tilted, said hook connecting the cover to the roof when it is in its locked position.
The proposal according to the invention ensures that the cover can only be removed after the locking elements have been released from inside and the hooks have been removed from their locked position from outside. Since the locking elements are not accessible when the doors and windows are closed and locked, the tilted cover cannot be removed from outside even after releasing the hooks. On the other hand, the hook is not accessible from the interior of the vehicle, so that the cover cannot fly away even if the locking elements are inadvertently released while in motion, for example by children at play, since it is gripped by the hook.
Preferably, the hooks have their locking surfaces and locking elements arranged in such manner that the hook engages in front of the locking elements. If a passenger in the vehicle wishes to remove the cover, he must first release the locking elements from the interior of the vehicle and push the cover out of the locking mechanism. Then he must get out and release the hook from the outside; only then can he remove the cover. Hence, it is not necessary for one person to release the locking element on the inside and a second person to release the hook from its locking position on the outside.
The hook and a spring which forces it into its locking position must be made so that the hook is forced into its locking position by the weight of the cover alone. This measure ensures that the cover is permanently connected to the vehicle even if it is not pushed down sufficiently, through negligence, for the locking elements to engage.
In an embodiment in which the locking element consists of two components releasably engaged with one another, the first being disposed on the cover and the second on the tilting mechanism, the hook is provided on the first part of the locking element fastened to the cover, and fits behind a locking surface on the second part in its engaged position. This allows a handle to be used to release the hook and remove the cover. The hook can be mounted on a pin which simultaneously serves as a guide for a spring of a locking element. This eliminates additional fastening elements for the hook.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.